USA Today has finished it’s annual compilation of Head and Assistant Football Coach salaries. Rich Rod’s $2.5 million salary is 12th on the list, $1 million less than Tressel’s, and $2.6 million less than Saban’s at Alabama. RR’s salary seems — particularly when taking into account a “results-based” analysis, within the general “market.”

But the review of Assistant Coach salaries is a little more puzzling. Michigan’s top-paid Assistants are Calvin McGee ($275G) and Greg Robinson ($270G); those salaries are within the Big Ten range –but not anywhere close to the highest-paid assistants in the country. Texas’ Will Muschamp (before his recent departure to replace Urban Meyer at Florida) was at $900G. One hundred thirty-two Assistants make more than $250G; fifty one of those are in the SEC.

So the SEC is clearly leading the way here. Which raises some questions. Players should get paid, and paid alot. But until that happens (and it will, it’s just a matter of time), the first question to come to mind is this: where Michigan is one of the top five most profitable — and highest grossing – athletics operations in the country, why are its’ assistant coaches paid — comparatively – so little? Maybe Bill Martin, or David Brandon can address this disparity.

One might further fairly speculate that Michigan’s apparent “cheaply-gotten” Defensive Coordinator has been a major cause of Michigan’s poor record the past several seasons. What gives?